2 album covers in our archive
Massive Attack is featured in Behind the Covers' archive with 2 album covers from the 1990s. Released across Wild Bunch and Virgin / Circa labels, the artwork sits in the electronic tradition. Each cover is documented in our archive with design notes covering minimalist, typography, white, negative space, trip hop, photography. Below you'll find the full story behind each Massive Attack cover — designers, photographers, label history, and the visual choices that defined the release.
The stark, minimalist cover for Massive Attack's second album features a simple white background with delicate typography, marking a dramatic shift from their debut's graffiti-style artwork. Designer Tom Hingston created one of the most understated yet influential covers of the 1990s trip-hop era.
Nick Knight's extreme close-up of a stag beetle — rendered with scientific precision in high contrast — is simultaneously beautiful and menacing, perfectly matching the album's dark, claustrophobic, paranoid atmosphere.
